Sure, the wines made by Vampire Vineyards are tasty and all, but sometimes, you just want something
a little more…unique. For my 30th birthday, I bought up a whole case of my favorite inexpensive wines
and elevated them to vampiric heights with a series of handmade stencils. Stenciling is easy as pie, and
you can’t go wrong with whatever punny, punky name you choose for the wines you serve at your
next party.

Before you begin, take the wine bottles you’ve chosen to elevate to awesomeness and soak them in your
kitchen sink, or a bucket of water. Then, loosen the labels and remove them. Now you’re ready to go.

Step 1: Buy Frisket Film, an X-acto knife, and spray paint. Let me tell you, Frisket Film is your best friend.
It’s a magical, restickable sheet of plastic, with a removable paper backing. It’s available online, and at your
local craft store. It’s the first step to getting the perfect stencil.

Step 2: Design your stencil. You can call your wine anything you want – I chose “Blood” for my reds and
“Holy Water” for my whites, and I designed labels that fit those names. A cute little skull-and-crossbones for
“Blood.” A simple white cross for “Holy Water.” I stenciled a little banner image on my wines and wrote in
their names with Sharpie (cutting out all those tiny letters seemed a bit daunting). But, if you’re up to the
challenge, go for it! I mean, really, this is your chance to shine. The possibilities are endless. Have fun with it,
and see what you come up with. When you’ve settled on a design, you can draw your stencil right on the
back of the Frisket Film.

BLOOD! (A.K.A., cheap and delicious red wine)

Step 3: Cut out your stencil. I use an X-acto knife. It’s easy to manipulate, and almost fool-proof.
(Translation: even if you’re as clumsy as I am, you probably wont cut yourself. But be careful, OK?)

Step 4: Peel the backing off your stencil and affix it to your first bottle. Following the directions on the can
of spray paint, spray a thin layer or two of whatever color you’ve chosen across the stencil’s exposed surfaces.
Too thin, and your stenciled image will look spotty; too thick, and you might have trouble peeling it off.
(NOTE: do this step outside, and PLEASE don’t inhale!!!)

Step 5: After letting your bottle dry for a few minutes, peel your stencil from the bottle, revealing your
GORGEOUS, AWESOME vampire image! After completing this step, it’s probably best to uncork that first bottle.
Why the hell not? I mean, you just created drinkable art – it’s time to celebrate! Plus, you have to make sure the
wine is tasy, right? Right.

Step 6: Don’t get too drunk, because you still have lots of bottles to stencil.

Step 7: Repeat Steps 4 and 5 with all remaining label-less bottles. Because Frisket Film is frickin awesome, you
can re-peel and re-use it multiple times. If you’re stenciling a huge number of bottles, though, you may have to
remake your stencil after the first half-dozen or so. The more paint on the stencil, the stiffer and stickier it gets,
and the more difficult it is to manipulate. This is hardly a problem, however: what makes your stencil cool is how
unique it is, so if the second one looks different from the first, it only makes your drinkable art more interesting.

Step 8: Throw a party, and show off your unique creations to all your friends! They will SO appreciate the extra
mile you went to, making totally-individual vampire art for them to enjoy.

Step 9: Don’t forget to take pictures of your creations and share them with me!!!
And, as always, have fun. AND, why stick with just wine? Peel the labels off your favorite whiskey, gin, or vodka, and
go to town. Make a Drea-themed rye. Make Andy’s favorite tequila. Like I said, the possibilities are endless. Can’t wait
to see what you come up with!